The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 19, 2024

Paradise Regained

Paradise Regained

1968
(American, 1932-)
America, 20th century
gelatin silver print
Image: 8.6 x 12.7 cm (3 3/8 x 5 in.); Paper: 12.6 x 17.8 cm (4 15/16 x 7 in.); Matted: 30.6 x 35.6 cm (12 1/16 x 14 in.)
Gift of Museum members in 1989 1989.446.a
Location: not on view

Description

Convinced that photography cannot represent reality, Michals describes the human condition through a combination of symbolism, metaphor, and narrative. In this sequence of images, the material possessions of a man and woman—recalling Adam and Eve in paradise—are gradually replaced by plants. Warning the viewer that one’s identity cannot be defined through worldly possessions, Michals depicts the couple’s transformation into more pure, natural beings. He is considered a pioneer in working in sequence, staging open-ended narratives, and synthesizing images with text.
  • Cleveland Museum of Art, Tom E Hinson. Catalogue of Photography. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1996. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 56-57; Reproduced: P. 244
  • Portraiture: American Photography 1960 to the Present. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 1-September 13, 2009).
    The Cleveland Museum of Art (06/01/2009 - 09/13/2009); "Portraiture: American Photography 1960 to the Present"
    CMA, November 20,1996 - February 2, 1997: "Legacy of Light: Master Photographs from the Cleveland Museum of Art," see Catalogue of Photography, pp. 56-59.
    CMA, Nov. 18, 1992 - Jan. 3, 1993: "Contemporary American Photographers," CMA Bulletin, 79 (Nov. 1992), p. 350, no. 53, repr. p. 316.
    CMA, Feb. 6 - April 15, 1990: "Year in Review 1989," CMA Bulletin, 77 (Feb. 1990), p. 71, no. 106 (not exhibited).
  • {{cite web|title=Paradise Regained|url=false|author=Duane Michals|year=1968|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1989.446.a